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Origin and history

The Saint-Martin Church of Sebourg, commonly known as the Saint-Druon Church, is a Catholic building located in the northern department of Sebourg. Originally dedicated to Saint Martin, she also honors Druon, a local saint born in Artois in 1118 and died as a hermit in Sebourg in 1186. The present church was rebuilt after a fire in 1186, an event marked by a miracle where Druon, surrounded by flames, came out unharmed. The latter was buried there, and miracles (such as fracture healings) were reported in the thirteenth century.

The architecture of the church has evolved over the centuries. The original side tower was replaced in 1697 by a 73-metre high Louis XV front tower designed by Bernard Duez. This quadrangular bell tower, with foothills and an arrow surrounded by bell towers, was partially destroyed during World War I by German bombing. Originally, the clock had three dials with a representation of Saint Druon indicating the hour, and the bell tower had 18 bells, reduced to three today.

Ranked a historic monument since 1919, the church houses several remarkable objects. Its location on a hill overlooks the southeast of the village, and its history mixes local devotion, medieval reconstruction and major architectural transformations. The Croÿ Albums and the First World War postcards bear witness to these metamorphoses, including the partial destruction of the bell tower, a symbol of the resilience of the heritage to conflict.

Druon was born in 1118 and died in 1186. Hermit and patron of the shepherds, her cell, spared by the fire of 1186, became a place of pilgrimage after her death. His worship, combined with miracles, strengthened the religious importance of the church, which remained a place of major devotion in the North of France. The ancient Romanesque church, destroyed before 1186, leaves little trace, but its legacy persists through medieval reconstruction and baroque additions.

The northern department, where Sebourg is located, was a conflict-stricken territory, particularly during the First World War. The church, damaged in 1914-1918, illustrates the destruction suffered by religious heritage during this period. Its restoration and classification in 1919 underline its historical and cultural importance, as well as the desire to preserve a place full of collective memory and local spirituality.

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